Activities

Water Sports

We have the best swimming beach in the area, no exaggeration! If you go down to Troncones you will find that the waves are twice as high and the beaches twice as rocky

Please be safe when swimming. A good thing to do is to asses the size of the waves BEFORE you go in the water. For the most part you will find medium to small sized waves in our bay. The general rule is if you think that it looks big from the beach, don’t go out past your waist!! The cool thing is that most fun stuff can be done in shallow-ish water.

Boogie Boarding

Boogie boarding can be enjoyed right in front of the hotel. We have wonderful boogie board waves and have a few boards of our own.

Snorkeling

IF the waves are small it is possible to snorkle in our bay. The chance of that is about 50-50. It is always possible to snorkle in the tide pools. There are two places that you can always snorkle in the area. Las Gatas beach in Zihuatanejo and Isla Ixtapa in Ixtapa.

Equipment

We have boogie boards for our guests, and we also have three sea kayaks. Go ahead, take them out, it’s lots of fun and the view is awesome. We do not have masks and snorkles, they can be rented at Jungle tours, but i reccomend bringing your own that way you know that they fit and are in good shape.

Tide Pools

A tide pool is a place where the rocks protect an area from waves but still let in water and fish. They are like natural aquariums. There are lots of tide pools nearby, from huge almost Olympic size to petit one person size. The biggest one is on the left (south) point as you look out your screen doors. It is about a 7-10 minute walk, take your hat, mask and snorkel. It is shallow but a perfect place for viewing lots of different fish, and no waves to throw you around.

There are also quite a few smaller pools on the north side (right) of the bay. In front of the house with the big palm frond roof you will find lots of Jacuzzi’s, where the waves come in and swirl around make lots of bubbles and fun! Take a couple of beers and pretend like you are the only people on this unspoiled beach.

Beach combing

Want to find that perfect shell to bring home to your niece? On both the north and south points of our bay, where it is the rockiest, you will find the most shells, lots of beautiful sea urchins and other found art.

Birding and Walking Trails

Horseback Riding

Chrispin, shows up at our door from time to time with two very sweet and docile horses to rent. He doesn’t go with you or speak English, but if you are into horses, and have ridden before it can be a fun way to see the neighborhood (but not birds because horses scare them away). Chrispin, charges 20 US$ an hour per horse and you can keep them as long as you want. I recommend taking the lagoon trail as mentioned in the hiking and birding segment.

Sport Fishing

The fancy way –

There are all shapes and sizes of boats available in Zihuatanejo for day sport fishing trips to catch Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Rooster Fish, Mahi-mahi and more!

For a group of 2-3 people, the captain that I like best is Jaime Vargas (755-554-4254). On his boat you will find two fishing chairs, two big rods, a cooler with 6 sodas, water, 6 beers, ice, shade and Jaime, who speaks English. He leaves the pier in Zihuatanejo at 7:00 am and returns at 1:00 pm. NOTE: He will not return later if you arrive at the pier late. The price is 150 $US plus 15 $US for the license fee that you pay at the pier when you arrive. There are sandwiches at the pier too.

You can have two different kinds of outings with Jaime. The first type of outing is a shore crawl where you fish for smaller more plentiful fish and also get to have a tour of the coast. The other type is deep sea fishing where you will immediately head for the open sea and not stop until you are about 25 miles out where the big fish live. No matter which trip you go on, you can see lots of sea life, including whales and sea turtles!

If you have a group of more than 2 or 3 people, I can arrange through Jaime for a bigger boat. Or, if you want more luxury, like an enclosed space with AC for example, I can arrange that too. The prices are from 250$ and up.

The Mexican way –

If you are really into fishing and bring your own rod, or think that fishing with a handline is fun, a good way to get out to sea is to walk down to the neighboring village of Majahua and hire a “panga” and captain.

A panga is a typical fiberglass Mexican fishing boat, it can hold about 5 persons but not all of them fishing. These boats are owned by fishermen who make their living fishing, such that it is. There are no amenities! If you want drinks, and shade, you need to bring it yourself. My favorite person to go fishing with is Samba, he is helpful and very nice.

It is best to arrange for your trip to begin as early as possible, as later in the day the sun gets really hot and the sea more choppy. The pangas don’t go out to as far as the sport fishing boats of Zihua, so you probably won’t be catching the large bill fish but you will get plenty of: Spanish Mackerel, Skip Jack, Grouper, and lots of other fish that I don’t know the names of!

Samba and most of the fishermen in Majahua charge a separate rate for gas and captain. Usually the gas is 60$ and the captain (plus his “helper”) is 60$ You should agree on the price before the trip, and you might want to give a tip if the fishing was especially good.

Games

Playing games is a fun way to spend a day, especially if it’s for money! We have cards, dominoes, and Scrabble. My favorite is dominoes. If you are interested…I also have a card game rule book, for those games that we used to play as kids, but kind of forgot the rules.

Reading

Yep, no TV, that ‘s the way we like it, Jim and I are both voracious readers, Jim on the more nonfiction side and I’m on the more well, trashy side. So if you need a book, we probably have one for you, just ask and we will give you a selection.

If you would like to go to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo you may:

Scuba dive, Sport fish, Golf, Para-sail, go to discos, shopping, and much more!